With more than three decades of fitness experience and more than 45,000 training sessions under his lifting belt, it makes sense to classify Michael Blauner as a bona fide fitness expert. The New Jersey-bred trainer’s client list extends from athletes to runway models, local working moms to even “Real Housewives.�
Along with his personal training duties in the New York City area, Blauner is also a respected top-level gym designer in the region.
“I pride myself in being able to train anybody,� says Blauner who’s trained “Real Housewives of New York City� star Sonja Morgan. Whether training a celebrity or the average weekend warrior, I train each client differently. Each person is unique and requires specific training suited for their needs.�

What is your “fitness philosophy� for you and your clients?
Be consistent and have fun doing it. Find the workout that suits you. Set realistic goals, and at the same time know that you don’t have to overdo it.

What pieces of equipment should people have at home to work out?
For me, it would be a pullup bar, simply because I believe all routines should have the three basic motions of pullups, pushups, and squats. Since you can do the other two without equipment, the pullup bar would be the clear choice.

If you had to incorporate one exercise into everyone’s workout, it would be what move?
The one exercise everyone needs to incorporate is absolutely the pushup. It covers a lot of ground and there are several different variations of it which allows people to do one kind or another.

Have there been any misconceptions about training at home that you keep hearing from clients?
The most common ones are not having enough space or the right equipment equipment. The truth is you really don’t need much of either. If you have a 6-by-6 area and a pair of dumbbells, you have yourself a home gym.

For people who can’t acclimate from the gym to working out at home, your advice would be?
Motivation starts with desire and priority. You need to set goals and focus on them daily. If you can keep your eye on the prize, whether it be losing weight or getting stronger, you’ll be able to stay motivated no matter where you’re working out.

What’s one exercise you see people constantly messing up?
The routine I see most people messing up is not doing any routine at all. Of course there are many ways to mess up on form, but lack of exercise is much worse.

Your thoughts on virtual training’s future post-pandemic?
Any time you have an option that will in any way help people is a good thing. It’s hard to say whether virtual training is ideal, but it does keep people moving Perhaps, as time goes by it will remain a constant in people's lives, but it’s probably not for everyone.